How to Edit Images Like a Pro All By Yourself – With an Online Photo Editor

There are really only a few tools that can make building your website either a walk in the park with birds chirping over your shoulder, or an uphill battle on Mount Everest – in sub-zero temperature!

Choosing the right website design software is a surefire way to get a website together super fast and easy – without pulling all your hair out!

The second tool that will save you loads of time and allow you to create a very professional looking website is a good, capable online photo editor.

Why Use An Online Photo Editor?

A good photo editor is the secret sauce that can help you transform your photos from “meh” to uniquely amazing.

Before Editing – Boring & Uninteresting

After Editing using Pixlr – Full of Personality

Whether you want to airbrush a few wrinkles out of your latest headshot (I know I do!) or create an ad banner to share on your social channels, the ability to edit images is a must-have skill that all DIY website owners should possess.

The most popular photo editor that all professionals use is Photoshop.

As a website designer myself, Photoshop is an essential tool.

Most of the graphics you see on this website were create by me using Photoshop. It gives me the ability to create, modify and edit any photo or graphic to make them fit into our website.

Now, Photoshop is great, but it is not for everyone, and here’s why:

It’s expensive as heck! You’ll need to pay anywhere from $9.99 to $79.98 per month (depending on the what tools you need).

It is not easy to use. It will take weeks to master the Photoshop. Be prepared to spend hours on a single image when you are first starting out.

Just as an example, if you wanted to edit / touch up a headshot, this is what you need to do if you were to use Photoshop:

Whoa… that looks like WAY too much work! And it is!

You might be thinking —

“Well, that doesn’t sound like something I’m willing to pay for or spend the time to learn. I just need something simple to help touch up my pictures before I post it online. There must be an easier way!“

Ah — there is a simpler way! — Say hello to your new best friend – the online photo editors!

With these online editors, you don’t need to break apart an image to edit each tiny section (like what you need to do with Photoshop) – it takes way too much time and effort.

Online photo editors have specific tools just for editing headshots (like wrinkles removal), or adding Instagram-like effects to your landscape pictures, etc. It just takes a few clicks – nothing complex or time-intensive.

What is an Online Photo Editor?

Online photo editors are dumbed down versions of Photoshop – except they’re not dumb at all.

While Photoshop is made for the Pros, online photo editors are made for the everyday person like you.

That is why it is a lot easier to use (without much technical frustration), and a lot cheaper compared to Photoshop.

You can create greeting cards, touch up photos and add Instagram-style filters with a simple click of a button.

If you can use an iPhone photo editing app, you can use an online photo editor – it’s that easy.

This is a fantastic option for you if you:

Don’t have time to learn how to use complicated software to make minor adjustments to your photos.

Don’t have a big budget to spend on expensive photo editing software like Photoshop that is really made for professionals.

Don’t know how to create special image effects from scratch. Software like Photoshop have no preset effects. While you can buy effect packages, it doesn’t come pre-installed. So you are left with the task of creating effects like what you see in Instagram all from scratch.

Don’t need professional-level retouching, but you still want something good enough to make a real difference in your photos.

There are actually a lot of free and paid online photo editors to choose from, and I will be covering the ones I like the most (and use) below.

They all do certain specific tasks really well, but can suck in other departments, So it can be a bit confusing to choose which one to use for a certain task. I’ll go over these below.

#1 BeFunky

BeFunky is one of the best photo editors I’ve used even when compared to Photoshop.

Yes, Photoshop is an insanely powerful image editor that I still use every day. But, it is expensive and has a high learning curve.

Honestly, if you are not an aspiring graphic designer, there really isn’t a good reason why you should use Photoshop when you have BeFunky.

You have access to tons of tools even with the free version. You can unlock all features and tools if you splurge for the $4.95 monthly fee (or $2.08 per month if you sign up to their annual plan). This is a lot cheaper than Photoshop!

There are 3 modes:

Photo Editor

Collage Maker

Designer

1) Photo Editor:

The photo editing tool gives you all the basics and more. You can adjust all aspects of your photo like de-wrinkling, airbrushing, add filters like Instagram, and brightness & contrast controls and more.

What sets BeFunky apart from Photoshop is they have pre-set tools that make applying popular image effects super easy.

For instance, there is no “airbrush” preset function in Photoshop, so you actually need to make the micro-editing yourself by adjusting the blur and tint which require some expertise and a lot of practice.

BeFunky has all sorts of settings for you so it is super simple to edit your photos like a pro!

Honestly, after using BeFunky I really don’t need my Photoshop for simple tasks as that I can get done faster and easier with BeFunky.

#2 Pixlr

Pixlr is one of the first online image editors I’ve used back in 2011. Since then they have made leaps and bounds and have become a very sophisticated photo editor.

A simple way of describing Pixlr is they are the little brother of Photoshop. They have very similar tools and their platform layout also feels similar.

So, if you have used Photoshop before, you will feel right at home with Pixlr.

Pixlr does give you some photo filters and effects that don’t come standard with Photoshop, but you can always download or buy additional filters and effects for Photoshop.

What make Pixlr stand out is its price (keep in mind you don’t have to upgrade, and can use Pixlr for free). It is so much cheaper compared to what you will pay for in Photoshop.

So Pixlr is the budget friendly version of Photoshop with most, but not all, the features that Photoshop offers.

A word of caution. Because Pixlr is so similar to Photoshop, it does have some of the complexity that average people might not like about Photoshop. It is definitely easier to use than Photoshop but you should expect to have some learning curves when compared to BeFunky or PicMonkey

Pixlr has 3 versions:

Pixlr Express

Pixlr Editor

Pixlr Desktop

1) Pixlr Express:

It works exactly like the name describes – “Express”.

This is the light version of Pixlr that allows you add effects, filters, borders, text and do simple editing like cropping, resizing, removing red eye, rotating, etc.

This is a great tool if you need to do some quick touch ups and get out fast. The tools are very intuitive so it’s not hard to figure out how to edit your photos.

2) Pixlr Editor:

The Editor version gives you a lot more control and it mimics most of the tools that Photoshop has.

Here you can work with layers, isolate objects, add effects and do image touch ups.

Because I already know Photoshop, it was very easy for me to pick up how to use Pixlr Editor. If you never used Photoshop before, it will take a few minutes to know where the tools are located and what they do. Check out their Tutorials Page to learn how to use the basics.

One thing I don’t like about the Editor version is that it is missing a simple platform and pre-set effects that you find in the Express version.

#3 PicMonkey

It’s great for touching up your portraits and creating collages. It’s also very simple to add text and banners to create ads or header images for your website.

However, the free version has very limited tools. So if you want to look for a free image editor with more features, go with Pixlr or BeFunky.

PicMonkey is very similar to BeFunky, but with fewer tools and more simplified user interface.

I still like BeFunky because I can do more with it. But, if you find BeFunky a bit challenging to use, PicMonkey will be a great alternative.

PicMonkey has 3 versions:

Photo Editor

Collage Maker

Design

Photo Editor:

What I love about PicMonkey’s Photo Editor is their portrait touch tool.

You can literally color outside of the line and still get a perfect result — very cool.

There are plenty of effects and filters to choose from so you can create Instagram-worthy pics.

Collage Maker:

Crazy simple to collage maker. You can use the drag & drop tool to adjust your image size and arrangement automatically.

No technical skills required!

Design:

Again, PicMonkey is the master of simplicity. With their Design tool, you can easily create greeting cards, business cards, ad banner and any graphics.

They give you 26 preset templates to help you create Facebook banners, Pinterest images or banners for all of the most popular social media platforms.

Who should use this?

If simple and fast is what you need, PicMonkey is a great option.

It is really good at photo touch ups, creating collages and creating graphics to share on most of the popular social media networks.

Who should not use this?

PicMonkey doesn’t have the same level of sophistication as Pixlr or the tool selection as BeFunky. If you need more control than just the presets that PicMonkey offers, the other two photo editors will be better for you.

Very limited tools in their free version. So if you like PicMonkey after the free trial, you’ll have to dish out 2.75 a month to get all the pro tools.

Conclusion – Edit Your Photos Like a Pro – Without The Need To Actually Be One!

Online Based Image Editor ReCap:

BeFunky: Best all round image/photo/graphic editor. It’s super intuitive to use and have lots of preset tools that make editing ridiculously simple. It has all the features offered by PicMonkey and most of Pixlr’s advanced tools with none of the complexity. It will be the last image editor you will ever need.

Pixlr: Best Photoshop-like Editor. Great alternative to Photoshop. What it lacks in preset tools it makes up for its flexibility and advanced Photoshop-like features. It does have a slight learning curve, so it may not be for everyone.

PicMonkey: Simplest to use. It is great for touching up portraits or creating quirky ads, banners, business / gift / greeting cards and more. While PicMonkey doesn’t have as many features as BeFunky or Pixlr, their tools are idiot-proof. You can literally color outside of the lines and still get a great result.

With preset filters and photo touch up tools, anyone without design or technical skills can also create picture frame worthy photos.

It doesn’t matter if you have a content marketing strategy or a social media strategy, you need eye-catching images to grab your audience’s attention. Most people are usually quite visual, so having great looking, attention-grabbing images on your website can make a big difference.

This is where any of the online photo editors I’ve mentioned above can help you – especially if you don’t have the luxury of time or money to hire people to help you touch up your images (if you do want to hire designers, here is a good guide on how to hire them the right way).

I’m not planning on abandoning my Photoshop anytime soon. But these nifty photo editors can really simplify my work and make simple editing crazy quick. I love them!

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About Connie

Designing and creating your website (especially your first one) is not a simple task. If you're a designer like me, then you're already way ahead of the game. But what if you're one of the 99% of business owners who are not technical or creative? I want to share my website design expertise with you to help you build a professional looking website to grow your business.

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About Connie

Designing and creating your website (especially your first one) is not a simple task. If you're a designer like me, then you're already way ahead of the game. But what if you're one of the 99% of business owners who are not technical or creative? I want to share my website design expertise with you to help you build a professional looking website to grow your business.

27 Responses to How to Edit Images Like a Pro All By Yourself – With an Online Photo Editor

Great list of tips. You’re completely right as without the photo editor your pics won’t look appealing enough. Good design is almost the crucial issue. I know some of the above mentioned tools but want to add one recently found to the list – Luminar.

Kinda late to the party, but two completely free alternatives are GIMP and Krita. Krita is similar to Photoshop in features and learning curve, while GIMP makes both of them combined look like a lens filter (seriously, it’s that powerful). I’ve sworn by GIMP even on my Windows machine and have long since trashed my Photoshop subscription.

Anybody can add a new look through photoshop and it just takes a few seconds to edit your photo in an application. So if you are searching any kind of assistance regarding photoshop you may visit Adobe Photoshop Customer Support

Great to hear you found a platform that worked for you. I think that’s the most important thing really. You can have all the bells and whistles but if you can’t use the thing then what’s the use?!

PicMonkey is a solid platform and I know it’ll help you tweak your images in no time.

From my experience, it’s best to try out both .JPEG and .PNG files to see which gives you the smaller file size.

You can also run images through the online program Kraken.io to further reduce image size. To do this, select ‘try free web interface’ on the Kraken website, then ‘Lossless’ as the optimization mode. You can then drag in/upload your images and Kraken will process them and reduce the file size.

You can then download the images and use them on your website, further saving space + improving load speed. Ideally you don’t want any (or very many) images above 60kb in size. However, just to say that if you need to use larger images, then you definitely can (e.g. a long infographic or hi-res photo), but try to avoid too many other images if this is the case.

Load speed is not only frustrating for your users, but it can negatively impact your SEO as Google frowns upon slow loading webpages that gobble up bandwidth.

I got tired of using Canva and Picmonkey… So I decided to look for an option that would create great images and save me some much needed time. I found Imagefoo (http://imagefoo.com) and I love them. I know they aren’t an online image editor, but they do edit images! They save me a lot of time and effort on all of my web images.

Love the tips you shared with us, and I particularly like all the helpful screenshots.
It is also really challenging to find a good text editor that will suit all your needs perfectly, especially if you are looking for something cheap and good-looking. I have been searching for a few hours and came across ‘besttexteditor.com It helped me discover ommwriter

About Us

Maybe just like you, at first we didn’t have a clue about how to build a website, let alone write half a line of code – even if our lives depended on it!

We wanted to build a website for our business, but felt overwhelmed, confused & scared about how to actually do it or which builder to use. We couldn’t afford to make wrong decisions or expensive mistakes, so after years of trials & errors using different website builders, we’re here to share our experiences with you.